Overview
Frank M. Zuccarelli (October 29, 1951 – January 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as the longtime supervisor (executive) of Thornton Township in Cook County, Illinois. He was also the longtime chairman of the South Suburban College Board of Trustees. Zuccarelli was also a Democratic Party powerbroker in Cook County politics, and served for two decades as the Democratic committeeman for Thornton Township.
Early life, education, and career
Zuccarelli was born on October 29, 1951 in Chicago, the son of James J. and Marjorie Zuccarelli. where he graduated high school. He graduated in 1976 with an associates degree in science. He graduated again with an associate of arts degree in 1978. He would serve on the board of the Thornton Township Youth Committee for sixteen years. He also involved himself in Young Democrats. Frank Giglio, the Democratic committeeman of Thornton Township mentored him. Zuccarelli subsequently earned a bachelor's degree at Governors State University.
South Suburban College Board of Trustees (1978–2022)
For 43 years, Zuccarelli served on the board of trustees for South Suburban College, which was earlier in his tenure known as Thornton Community College. Before being publicly elected to the board in 1978, he had first served on it in 1976 in the then-newly-created student trustee position. As a student trustee, he supported a teachers strike for higher teachers pensions. As a publicly elected trustee, he won eight terms.
First and second terms
For decades, Zuccarelli served on the board of trustees for South Suburban College (previously named "Thornton Community College"). Zuccarelli was elected to the board of trustees in 1978. A recent graduate of the community college himself, Zuccarelli argued in his campaign that he had a, "very thorough knowledge of the problems that students at Thornton Community College encounter, both in and out of the classroom." He also pledged to advocate for a lower tuition. After Robert Anderson stepped down as the board's chair late-1985, Zuccarelli sought to become his successor. He was one of two candidates nominated for consideration by the board. However, Rita Page defeated him in a 4–3 November vote.
In 1987, the editorial board of The Star described Zuccarelli as, "one of the more contentious trustees, furthering the image of strife on the board," and accused him of playing partisan Democratic politics on the ostensively nonpartisan board in consort with township Democratic leadership. In 1987 board election in which he was up for re-election, Zuccarelli organized a slate of two other candidates that he jointly ran with in the multi-member election. The entirety of the slate was elected. In a surprise, Kruszynski-Koch received more votes than Zuccarelli. The slate all agreed on raising the property tax rate to address the college's then-$1 million deficit and to work with the state on finding alternate revenue sources to fund the college.
The members of the slate also all supported the potential adoption of affirmative action, though they differed on how the college might implement it.
Chairmanship (1987–2022)
Zuccarelli became the board's chairman in 1987, a position he held for 34 years, until his death in 2022. The year after he became its chairman, the college was renamed to "South Suburban College". In 1993, Zuccarelli again ran with a slate. He and the other two candidates in the multi-member election for full terms (political newcomer Pat Wojicikowski and incumbent appointed trustee Louis Toney) won election against another challenger. Kathleen Meunier, an incumbent appointee that Zuccarelli had endorsed for election, won a coinciding special election for the unexpired term of the seat she had been appointed to. Zuccarelli played a key role in securing the college $36 million in funding from the Rebuild Illinois program to fund the construction of a new 130,000 square foot healthcare teaching facility.
The board also appointed South Holland village trustee Prince Reed to fill Zuccarelli's board seat.
Thornton Township Supervisor (1993–2022)
In 1993, Zuccarelli was elected the supervisor (executive) of Thornton Township in Cook County, Illinois. He would hold this office until his death in 2022. In 2019, the town had a sizable budget of $35 million. It, at the end of Zuccarelli's tenure, had 170 full-time and part-time employees. Zuccarelli was regarded to be the boss of a political machine in Thornton Township, and was criticized for his use of patronage. He dubbed his political allies the "Z Team".
Elections
Zuccarelli won election to ten four-year terms as supervisor. In 1993, Zuccarrelli challenged two-term incumbent supervisor Fred R. Redell in the Democratic primary. No longer supported by the county organization, Redell ran jointly with other candidates on a slate that was independent of party apparatus support. The campaign between the two was described as contentious. Zuccarelli won the primary 51% to 49%. In his 2001 re-election for a third term, Zuccarelli faced a primary election challenge from Giglio, with whom his relationship had soured. After an ugly campaign, Zuccarelli prevailed. Zuccarrelli, who was white, retained strong popularity with township voters even as the township demographically shifted into an overwhelmingly African American area.
Assistance programs and tax rebates
Thornton Townships contains several of Illinois' most impoverished communities. These were credited as returning $5 million of paid property taxes back to homeowners.
Salary
In 2017, Zuccarelli's salary was increased from $173,907 to $223,606. Earning roughly $224,000 in his later years in office, he was one of the highest-salaried public employees in Illinois. His salary was higher than that of the governor of Illinois, as well as the governors of all but one other U.S. states.
Spending
Critics also accused Zuccarelli of being wasteful with township resources. For instance, he spent in excess of $106,000 on an advertising campaign to persuade Nobel Peace Prize voters to give the award to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church after it was the site of a 2015 mass shooting. He also spent $46,00 on a four-day trip to South Carolina by himself and a party of fourteen. He claimed the trip was to learn why South Carolina community had reacted differently to that shooting than Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland had to then-recent police-involved killings of African Americans.
Succession
After his death in office, the township board had 60 days to choice a successor. After 60 days, the decision would have been ceded by the board to a town-hall-style meeting of township electors. After a contentious process, the board chose Dolton, Illinois mayor Tiffany Henyard ten minutes before the 60-day deadline would have been reached. Henyard was chosen over eight other individuals nominated for the position.
Role as a political powerbroker
Zuccarelli established himself as an influential individual in the politics of Cook County, Illinois, He was regarded to be the boss of a political machine in Thornton Township. as well as Calumet City Mayor and State Rep. Thaddeus Jones. Zuccarelli endorsed the successful 2004 U.S. Senate campaign of Barack Obama ahead of the Democratic primary. This separated him from much of the Democratic establishment leaders, who had instead backed Daniel Hynes' candidacy. Obama later campaigned on behalf of Zuccarelli and spoke positively of the Democratic organization that he headed. Ahead of the Democratic primary for the 2016 Cook County State's Attorney election, Zuccarelli endorsed Kim Foxx's successful challenge to incumbent Democrat Anita Alvarez.
Thornton Township Democratic Committeeman
In 2002, Zuccarelli was elected as the Democratic Party committeeman for Thornton Township, unseating Giglio, Also challenging Giglio was William Shaw, the mayor of Dolton, Illinois. At the time, the township's Democratic Party had fractured into three camps: those loyal to Zuccarelli, those loyal to Giglio, and those loyal to Shaw. Zuccarelli and Shaw remained friendly, which led to some speculation that they had both run in order to split the vote away from Giglio so that one of them would beat him. They both denied that that was the case. Zuccrelli campaigned on a promise that he intended to unite the divided township Democratic organization.
Other public offices
From 1996 until his death, Zuccarelli served on the Cook County Economic Development Advisory Board. From 2009 until his death, he served on the Cook County Employee Appeals Board.
2013 nomination to the CTA Board
On June 7, 2013, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn nominated Zuccarelli to replace John Bouman on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Board. Confirmation was subject to the advice and consent of the Illinois Senate. William M. Daley, who was challenging Quinn for the Democratic nomination in the 2014 gubernatorial election, took issue with the proposed appointment of Zuccarelli. Noting that Zuccarelli would earn $25,000 of public money from a CTA board position on top of the $128,000 he was already earning as Thornton Supervisor, he accused him of "double dipping" into public salary. A state law prohibited board members from also holding paid jobs for federal, state, county or municipal governments, but (in a loophole) did not make the same stipulation of township jobs.
Noting Zuccarelli's political influence, Daley accused Quinn of being motivated by a desire to receive Zuccarelli's political support ahead of the primary. Quinn defended the nomination, arguing that Zuccarelli's appointment would be valuable in providing the southern Chicago suburbs a "strong voice on transit". Ultimately, in mid-August, Zuccarelli declined to seek further consideration for the position.
Civic organizations
Zuccarelli served on the boards for Habitat for Humanity, the Thornton Township Youth Committee, and Foundation I.
Personal life
In his adulthood, Zuccarelli continued to live in South Holland, Illinois.
Death
Zuccarelli died on January 3, 2022 at the age of 70. and Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
Honors
Zuccarelli received a service award in 2014 from the Illinois Committee College Trustees Association. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois Committee for Honest Government.
Thornton Township Supervisor
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